True Branding for New Mexico (Strategy)

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys radio show podcast: New Mexico True Branding

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. On our radio show Ask Those Branding Guys, we discussed branding and marketing of the State of New Mexico.

Joining us on the show was Rebecca Latham, New Mexico Cabinet Secretary for Tourism. Rebecca talked about the New Mexico True advertising campaign which shares all the great things about the state. The NM brandline is Adventure That Fees the Soul which sets New Mexico apart from our neighboring states who are not able to offer the great art & culture component.

True came out of focus groups data indicating that there was a misconception of what New Mexico was like. The campaign started with True / False questions describing the amazing attributes of the state. Now True campaign is telling the rest of the country and the world about all the great things New Mexico has to offer. 2015 resulted in the fourth year of record breaking tourism growth. Over 91K New Mexicans are employed in the $6.1 billion hospitality industry, 68K of these as a direct result of tourism spending.

The Tourism Department partners with 50 communities around the state to tell their own True stories while keeping their own unique identity at the same time. The Tourism Department is also continuously working on new offerings under the True umbrella to keep the brand top of mind including New Mexico True product certification and the exciting New Mexico True Fest, their first signature event, coming up Labor Day weekend at Expo New Mexico in Albuquerque.

The Tourism Department uses different message in various markets. In the drive market, the focus is on luring those targets to New Mexico. In the fly market, where people are less aware of what NM has to offer, awareness campaigns are used. Within the state, the tourism department shares stories that will make residents proud; the goal is to remind residents why they should vacation in NM and keep tourist dollars here.

Rebecca shared that it has been very exciting to see how the #NewMexicoTrue Instagram campaign allows followers to share what New Mexico True means to them. The Tourism Department is leveraging all this great social media awareness to promote the State Parks in the Find Your New Mexico True State Park campaign.

Rebecca’s tip for anyone who wants to improve their branding and marketing – the one fundamental thing she always goes back to is research. Use data to objectively determine where you stand and hire experts to help you develop a strategy around how to promote your brand and stay true to yourself.

Enjoy the show.

Once a Day Marketing™ inspires clients to brand bold. Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com. Contact James Glover at (505) 501.1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com. Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at 11:00am (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

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